Review: ‘Saving Mr. Banks’

Ever since I can remember I have been surrounded by films such as The Aristocats, Winnie the Pooh (my absolute favorite- I have the tattoo to prove it), The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, etc. etc. etc. I had Disney bed sets and costumes and too many stuffed animals to keep up with. I have multiple soundtracks and Disney’s Greatest Hits compilation albums, numerous coloring books, and Disney Princess Candy Land. I grew up with Disney.

I’m telling you this, dear reader, to give you a fair warning before you continue so kindly reading: I am biased. This review is filled with complete and utter bias.

From the moment I first saw the trailer to Saving Mr. Banks over the summer I instantly started excitedly rambling to my friends, parents, and anyone else who would listen about this film I had not yet seen. “It’s going to win Oscars,” I said. “Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson, how could this not be amazing?” And after it’s been playing in theaters for nearly a month, tonight I finally went out and saw Saving Mr. Banks.

And it was everything I thought it would be.

The film is the true story of how Walt Disney, played by the always marvelous Hanks, convinces P. L. Travers to let him turn her Mary Poppins children’s books into the movie we all know and love. Travers, portrayed superbly by Thompson, is a piece of work. She’s stubborn and stuck-up, making her interactions with Disney and his poor employees hilariously awkward as the two parties try to reach a compromise that will more or less please them both.

Saving Mr. Banks is full of heart. As Disney tries to reason with the demands Travers has regarding the movie (such as no animation, no singing, and absolutely no color red), the emotional connection Travers maintains with her character Mary Poppins is revealed to the audience through heartbreaking flashbacks of a troubled childhood and father who is more or less Mr. Banks himself. Just try not to cry.

Thompson has already achieved a Golden Globe nomination for her role. And she, along with Hanks, are bound to get Oscar nods as well.

It’s pure and simple: this is a film Disney fans like myself have dreamed about. It’s pure magic.